NSU Ro80 review. It arrived in 1967 and looked so futuristic but what's it like to drive one today?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- With its twin rotor Wankel engine and streamlined looks, the Ro80 was motorshow star when it arrived in 1967. It also marked the start of Audi, as you'll discover in this video.
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Wow this was a review that really touched my heart. My late father had 2 NSU RO80's and for some reason he absolutely adored them? I know they were both later models and one of them had the wankel engine replaced for a Ford V4 which attached to the semi auto gearbox ran absolutely beautifully, the other had its original rotary engine. My father passed away in January this year and his passing has had a really bad effect on me, you think your Dad will always be around and when the day comes when he's suddenly not here anymore without warning or any indication the devastation is unbelievable, so seeing this review by Harry today on a car I would most associated with my father has really cheered me up and for the first time in a long time a little smile to go with it. Thanks Harry...👍🙂👍
What do you mean for some reason? What's not to like?
Your Dad had excellent taste.
Rich kid 😂. May he never be forgotten like mine , mentioned daily for last 6 1/2 years ❤️
Your father had a unique car! How special was that! I understand how you feel, when things change. It's not easy but life continues. My father was my best friend also. Funny how cars become so special in our memories! Those were the days.
Your dad had great taste. These cars were around when I was a kid, always intrigued me, and wondered what might have been if they’d managed to survive longer with more development…something like a 13B with a 5 speed box. Of course the rotary almost did Mazda in too so further development wasn’t necessarily the commercial answer, but would have been a cool car
While it might be tempting to enjoy the higher viewer figures on the modern sports cars, Harry, please carry on pulling in the oddball cars such as this one. Really enjoyed learning about this innovative car.
Yes indeed. As I recall the Ro 80 not only was Car of the Year it was one of the late cards in a Brooke Bond tea booklet, along with the Citroen SM ( I think ). One card in each 1/4 pound of tea. Only ever travelled in an optimistically named NSU 1200 TT. ( TT was the sport version, as Abarth or Gordini ).Rear engine but so much classier in feel than the VW Beetle and a lively looker - drew inspiration from the otherwise awful rear engine Chevrolet Corvair.
A neighbour of my parents had one in the early 70s. To put the late 60s £2,100 new price into context, we lived in a typical early 1960s 3 bed semi on a new estate. My parents bought the house in 1965 and paid £2,300 for it.
Always been obsessed with those ever since seeing one in the Audi museum in Ingolstadt as a kid. My dad always told me how Ro80 drivers would greet each other by holding up as many fingers as they had replacement engines :D
@tecdessus Not to mention if you get into the double digits...
@@ichheissedamian even more dangerous if you have use your feet too.
Well, my father only had to use one finger😂😂😂😂 Guess you know what finger😂😂😂
Hi Harry, 1969 Ro80 owner here. You can smooth the changes between gears by double clutching, push it out of gear letting go of the lever, give it a rev, then place it in the lower gear. Takes a bit of practice to remember to not touch the gear lever between actions but makes a big difference to the smoothness of the change. The stalling at rest can also be overcome by a tuneup and adjusting the strength of take-up of the vacuum clutch which you adjust with the silver valve unit attached to the RH front inner fender.
Thanks for the video, makes me want to take mine for a drive again and to get its paint issues resolved. Hello from Australia.
You drive this in Australia - city or country ?
@@sianwarwick633 I drive my Ro80 around the Southern Highlands of NSW.
My all time favourite car. To put things in perspective this car was launched 3 years BEFORE the Morris Marina. NSU were light years ahead in many ways but sadly like many others the financial success didn’t follow. Anyone remember Freddie Laker and his “walk on walk off” cheap transatlantic air service ? Twenty years before Ryanair and EasyJet etc.
I remember, his Sky Train.
Nice to see unusual older cars for a change.
There was the time that Citroen and NSU were close to each other, They had a company named Comotor to produce Wankel engines, NSU used them on Ro80 and Citroen on GS birotor and M35, also they shared semi automatic idea, Citroen used semi automatics on DS and CX, also you can see other similarities like inboard brakes etc.
NSU never used Comotor engines.
Wow Harry, this brought back memories! My Dad replaced his Aston Martin DBS6 Vantage, with a Ro80 (4 kids into an Aston just doesn't work!). I don't think the one you were driving was in very good health? - my over-riding memory of it was just how silent it was! Thanks for the show. Definiteley the best car show on the internet! Thank you. :)
Sadly it's not very healthy, you should be able to put it in gear hold the brakes and turn the wheels without it stalling... otherwise it means your engine is tired. Still it was a great video as always !
@@markguppy2715 Man, those Audi coupes were a great drive back in the 1980s with a wonderful manual gear change. Today, they seem even more rare than the Audi Quattro.
I hope it wasn't a key for key deal
Bought a 1975 Ro 80 about 8 years ago .Since then I drive it nearly every day. No problems at all. I will never sell the car. It has some thing special.
Very very Nice.
As a 59 year old this brings back memories, my Dad had exactly the same spec car in that blue from brand new & it received admiring looks from passers by, we had an orange car before. I would love to know the history of this one to see if it was ours. We travelled down through France, Germany, Austria to Italy to the Audi campsite on an epic holiday all those years ago towing a caravan all the way.
and carry to you the wankel engine any trouble during your travels?
@@diegocirilo1973 Hi Diego
We had no trouble with either of the NSU RO80s we had as I remember but I was about 10 years old at the time but I do know Dad was aware that others had problems. The orange car was a colour of its time but the blue was a stunning car. I remember the day we all went to pick it up & trading in the orange one.
thanks a lot for the information! I am phd in physics and mathematics, however my high school was technical (electromechanics and servomechanisms) consequently I like too much the cars with non conventional engines
60 year old , I remember seeing one of these in a garage in 1971. Compared to a Ford Consul and the like , this really was ' Space Age ' .
Hills must have been a challenge with the caravan and gappy torque curve…
Finally, Harry did my alltime- favourite car! I like how he really gives the revs to these rotors. The Ro80 is just a piece of art.
A time when car company executives were optimistic and willing to take chances. Love it.
if only Toyota made one of these wankels today
Risks indeed, they went bust and were swallowed up by VW (Audi at first).
Really a variety of content on your channel, you never know what to expect next
My dad had a garage in Lewisham and he sold NSU as a main agent.
The first RO80 came from Germany and to my dads two days before the motor show opened.
The following day it went to the show.
After the show it came back and my dad purchased it.
We had friends who lived in Cornwall we went to see on our first trip.
My dad driving it like he stole it.
Everyone in the car except my dad was sick.
It was a great looking car. When you consider you could still get a morris minor.
Anyhow good times
Love the Ro80, so advanced, the Audi 100 of 1982 was based on this shape, this car was quick for its day, it’s obvious that something is not right with the engine tuning
I was going to say that it reminded me of an Audi 100.. for a 1967 car it definitely would have looked very futuristic, taking into consideration other cars from 1967.. I knew the moment I heard it that it was a rotary, just has that unmistakable rotary sound. I only owned one rotary car, a third generation Mazda RX-7. I sold it, much to my regret.. it was a rare special edition Japanese import. Speaking of Audi 100. My Father had two Audi 100s back when I was a kid. I think it probably was the first car I was ever in. He had a pale green metallic coloured one then the second one he got was like a strange sort of metallic orange/copper colour as I remember it. It was very unusual kind of colour.. I think it is called copper metallic. They were both the 2.1 5-cylinder.
That was utterly fascinating! I’ve always been a big fan of the Ro80’s looks, but until now have never seen a video which explained properly how they drive. And on this basis, had I been wealthy enough to buy one when they were new, after a test drive, I think I’d have either bought an XJ6 or a Rover P6 - this looks awkward to drive, and as you rightly say, the gear change is especially odd! Thanks again!
Ditto, such futuristic looks but obviously to strange on the mechanicals - what a shame
The original new R0-80 at the time did not have these gearbox/transmission issues and was apart from the engine troubles, a much better engineered car as a Rover of Jaguar of that era. Additional issue was that the mechanics in the uk were not used to dealing with such advanced technology.
Having insufficient money to buy this utter lemon while it was shiny gave you relative happiness while you had time to accumulate more money and it’s reputation had time to align with its reality.
This car destroyed NSU.
I think in Germany, every time one Ro80 driver passed another, they would signal to each other, holding up some number of fingers to indicate how many times their engine had been replaced -- twice, three times, whatever.
I don't understand to this day why ANYONE would buy a rotary engined car. Lackluster performance, deplorable economy and ridiculous reliability, oil leaking and burning issues, etc....
How Mazda is still alive is a mystery.
Picked watching Harry’s garage, rather than church today.
Than,not then.🤣
The right choice
Harry IS god!
@@Michael-yd5ry than
Surely you could have made time for both! 😂
I have an Austin Westminster made in the same year - and that thing might as well be science fiction in comparison. So modern looking!
That really puts this car in perspective!!!
@@mantarayal or rather it puts into perspective how hopelessly backward BMC had become...
To be nerdy, the first Ro-80s had twin plugs per chamber and were perkier - de-rated with just a single plug per chamber in later ones in search of better longevity, though I think no less thirsty. And oh dear, that gearbox on the press fleet car! I remember my dad brought home the Motor's early road test car, which would go from standstill to 80-ish, all in second, with just a turbine-like whoosh - very impressive. I don't remember it being so roley-poley, either! Still looks good, though.
I had a Mazda Rx3 around 1976 - 1978. That had twin spark plugs too. It also had two distributors so that the second plugs could fire off a little after the first ones. The shape of the "combustion chamber" meant that combustion was very incomplete with one spark plug.
I just saw a RO80 today! On the road, near Heidelberg in Germany, a very beautiful example in bright orange color. And now, Harry shows this car in his video... Perfect day!
And he drives this RO80 quite sporty. 😉 The engine likes to rev, like no other engine of this period. Amazing was, back in the days, it was very smooth and quiet at high speed, not like this is example...
Thanks for this amazing video!
Still looks great today, when compared with the visually-challenging stuff being pedalled by the German brands these days.
Wow, that seems truly woeful !
Still, much more interesting than another bloody 700 BHP supercar, so thanks ! 😊
Now it's time to review an RX-7. : ) Have been waiting to hear Harry's thoughts on one ever since I picked up my third-gen. There have to be a few worthy examples rocking around Britain.
Hi Harry. I think it would be great if we saw a few more classic cars on the channel. Maybe the sort of car that would be in the same class as the Rolls Royce. The car you might have seen on a suburban driveway back in the 60's, 70's or even 80's. The sort of car that caught your eye as you passed it on the way to school or the bus to work every day but knew it would always be out of reach.
I live in New Zealand. We had these nice cars on our car market in limited numbers. It was very expensive to buy. The design is fantastic. Way ahead of its time. Especially when looking at other cars of the time.
A neighbour had one of these in the early 70’s and I always thought it was so far ahead of its time,very futuristic compared to that was the norm for the time.
I remember being enamoured by the brand reading about NSU as a little kid, and the story of the apex seal tally salute the owners would do to one another driving opposite ways on the road. lol Wankel engines have improved massively since then, though their time outside of high performance motor enthusiasts is gone.
One of the cooler cars you have had on the show! Fascinating transmission and I'm sure you'd adjust to it.
as a kid, riding in the back seat of a "Knall Orange" Taunus 2.0 Kombi, back in '76, I saw a few of these running flat out on the Autobahn. They were quite fast, probably due to the aerodynamics.
This is the one I’ve been waiting for, absolutely fantastic! What an interesting car, more reviews of quirky cars like this please
Wow. I worked on these as a mechanic in an NSU dealership in the sixties and this review brings back so many memories. You must hold the shifter by the shift knob to activate the points in the knob or the clutch servo would not activate. The shifter had a slight rocking motion to it. That’s one of the big things I remember from road testing them.
A more successful application of the Wankel was the Mazda Rx7. Would love you to review this Harry and more JDM stuff in general 😊
Very late VW beetles in the US had what VW called the "Automatc Stick Shift" which worked the same way. Both were made by Sachs as I recall.
I worked in the VW parts business for most of 20 years and the only repair parts these needed were the micro switch at the bottom of the gear lever and the vacuum servo or repair kit for it.
Porsche as well. They offered a sport-o-matic which coincided with VW's release of the 'Automatic Stick Shift'. I believe they were offered, starting in 1968.
@@bmepdoc9675 Yeah my Dad had a 911 with the semi auto. I had to get out of the habit of holding on to the shifter (after shifting) or the clutch wouldn't engage !
The 911 with the sport-matic was so rare and unique. My father was looking for a Porsche (eventually bought a new ‘69 912) and found a 911T on a used car lot. Neither my father nor the salesman knew how the sport-matic worked so the test drive was a series of clutch dumps from redline when the rev limiter (built into the distributor rotor) would kick in. Whichever of the two uneducated drivers was at the wheel would inadvertently touch the shifter disengaging the clutch and sending the howling rev happy flat 6 to max rpm, release the shifter and send full throttle to the road no matter the attitude of the steering. Luckily they got the thing back to the carlot without smashing into anything and both walked away shaking and soaked with sweat from fright. The rev limiting centrifugal ground distributor rotor happened to be completely interchangeable with a beetle rotor so if someone had cheaped out and installed the solid rotor there would have been valves and pistons colliding along with the kinetic mayhem of the drivetrain. The stuff of nightmares.
@@bmepdoc9675 Correct.
In an era where cars have all the visibility of a duck blind, this airy, flowing design with its lovely greenhouse is a breath of fresh air. Looks as modern as the day it came out. Thanks for covering this amazing bit of automotive history.
You are the blind one, not the duck.
As a 17 year old buying my first car back in 1993 you could still find these around for £1000 or so, usually with a SAAB/ Ford v4 fitted. Triumph 2000s were my second choice. Then insurance costs suddenly went crazy and I could only afford a 1.0 metro…. I eventually got a Triumph 2000 which was a brilliant old car but have never even driven an Ro80 😢
My dad had a bright yellow Triumph 2500s back in the 80s , great car but not very well rust proofed !
@@Carrera-gp9od I bought my 1969 2000 in 2006, it was one of the first mk2 models. It had plenty of old rust repairs but never missed a beat and took me all over the UK in the 7 years I owned it
I went for a test drive in an RO80 circa 88 or 89, never drove it sadly as the owner was an old fuddy duddy. 700 quid, a green one, it was my dad stopped me buying it as he worked with a German expat who used to rebuild the engines, used to being the operative word as parts then were impossible to find.
I have kinda fancied finding one ever since, I think I have one ever seen 2 since.
Triumph 2000 estate with overdrive was a great car
Adored this as a 15 year old interested in becoming a car designer. Still think it is one of the most beautiful and well thought out cars ever. Thanks.
Make no mistake having a look at past cars makes great content. Great review.
I think it is still a great looking car. Would not look out of place today and, l believe, the wear problems with the rotary engine have been solved. Great sound. Very courageous of VAG to loan this icon to Harry, somebody may be in for a bollocking if the "high ups" see the video!!
My father bought a Volkswagen K70 in the exact colour of the example in your video! A sort of deep yellowish gold hue. It was a 1.6 litre petrol and he loved it -although it replaced a Jaguar Mk2 3.4 litre. That was proving a bit thirsty in the '73 petrol crisis. The K70 was roomy, comfortable with massive, squashy front seats. It was reliable and economical over about eight years, then it started blowing out engine core plugs and VW dealers couldn't seem to effect a permanent cure. So he got rid after about three repair attempts. He bought an Alfa Sud after that but it began to rot almost immediately so I persuaded him to go SAAB! He was on his third 99 when he died suddenly in 1995.
Nice personal story. I have my 4 Saab 99 and in 1970 my street friend his father was driving a RO80 in the same collour as here
Aad your father passed away so Young and unexpected
They were so advanced that most of the trade were scared of them ,when they failed people often used the v4 engine from the Corsair which was short enough to fit and was a bit more dependable. What a great car the Prinz tts was very engaging .
That is what my Dad ended up doing (some firm in Essex did the conversion) but the car just wasn’t the same without the rotary engine and he got rid of it quite quickly afterwards having cost and absolute fortune to fix 😮
I wonder if a Mazda rotary engine conversion would have worked
@@pashakdescilly7517 The Mazda rotary engine of the time was certainly more reliable than the engine in the NSU. That said, there were probably loads of Ford V4s around at the time. So cheaper and easier, but probably not better 😕
I've always wanted to drive a semi automatic gearbox like this. Seems like it could be a really nice solution, having a torque converter for creeping along, then clutching fully in once under way, and not needing to stand on the clutch pedal while in traffic.
A blast from the past and still a pretty car. I didn't think they were noisy like this one.
Dad got an NSU1000 back in the 70s. I recall it had two levers between the front seats for heater and choke. My mum was a very nervous driver and when she turned into our drive I would open the choke to make the car lurch forwards. She never figured out why it did that. #goodolddays
I'd be interested to see how the overall experience of driving this compares to the Citroen DS - another car that was considered quirky but seems to have its fans.
DS is a FAR better car.
What an interesting car. I'm surprised Audi didn't take that fantastic body and relaunch a version with more conventional mechanicals. I'm surprised you didn't mention the Audi 100 C3 which is clearly the car most directly inspired by this. These looked like the future in the mid-80s so I can quite understand the impact this had 15 years earlier.
My father had two in succession. Wonderful cars with huge interior space. But the rotor seals would go if not driven hard and frequently.
Wow. More strange stuff like this please!
Thank you for taking this car out for a ride. I have had a very soft spot for them ever since their launch. It was a beautiful shape and pushed the mechanical boundaries so far - if a little bit sad that it was released before the power plant was fully developed. The German car industry was seriously flirting with the Wankel engine in the 1960s - who can forget the Wankel powered Mercedes C111, which was an amazingly striking design of that period? Thanks again for showing this to everyone.
Such a timeless looking car. Love it.
Presenting a car with an untuned engine and being presented by someone who does not have sufficient knowledge of the car, unfortunately does not give a fair image of either the NSU brand or the RO80 as an innovative car.
Thank you Harry for covering one of the most forgotten cars of the 60's and 70's. I was fascinated by the design when it was launched but have never ever seen one in the metal before. Fascinating video! Thanks again, Harry!
I'd like to see Harry test a Van Veen OCR 1000 motorcycle, if anyone in the UK has one. I think they were good for about 150 MPH.
Back in 1977 my friend at technical college had three . One the same colour blue as that , but he converted the engine to a granada 2.8 but kept the three speed semi auto box .
I converted mine to a Mazda equivalent. Lightweight body panels lead to early rust. Expensive on fuel and platinum terminald spark plug .
When I was a teen, my dad had a K70, whilst my best mate's dad had a Ro80. I loved going in the NSU. So smooth!
I Remember when I first started driving in 1976 scrapyard absolutely full of these, Ro80s and they weren’t very old, and they all looked in good condition, but every one of them had a fried engine. Beautiful cars well ahead of their time if you look at the way Audi went in the 70s and 80s a lot of the design features got transferred over thank you, interesting video
My first job when i left school was in a garage that worked on RO 80's , the yard was always full on them waiting to be worked on,always low compression.Back in the day it was one car that really stood out,totally different from anything else at the time.
With the specific toolbox
I think the buzzer was added because owners were over revving them due to the smoothness. Allegedly some owners deliberately revved them to death when they were getting close to the end of the warranty period to get a "free" new engine. Then there's the story of owners holding up 2/3/4 fingers when they met another Ro80 to signal how many engines they'd had...
I knew someone with one of these and remember him telling me about holding up your fingers for the amount of new rotor tips replaced to other nsu owners. I remember it looking amazing
hahhaa
that is a gorgeous car. I remember them. Glad to see there's still one running
There’s around 50 taxed in the U.K.
Great choice! I always thought these looked fantastic, so its great to get some opinions on how they actually drive.
Yes, I remember the NSU so well from my teenage and early 20s years. I thought they looked amazing but they suddenly seemed to disappear and nobody talked about them. I'd almost begun to believe it was a figment of my imagination. This was a wonderful and fascinating review. Much appreciated, thanks 👍☺
Loved the RO80 my father had one in white. I remember the stories of drivers waving their fingers at each other when passing to signify how many engines they had gone through.
Lovely to see an Ro80 review. It seems pretty clear that although good cosmetically this example was not in the best mechanical health although Harry is undoubtedly too much of a gent to say so in his review. In period the Ro80 was actually complimented for its handling - the suspension on this one seems shot. Similarly, I am sure that the car should not fail to hold the idle when the car is held on the footbrake or that the gearbox should shriek like that. Doubtless all things that can be fixed with a bit of cash. I recall them when a boy in period when they held a bit of a fascination. I was particularly impressed when a neighbour took delivery of a new one in 1975 as they were then only available to special order in the UK at a considerable jump in price from previously. It did not occur to me then that it was probably unsold old stock from 1974 as the message that they were trouble had even reached this schoolboy. I had always fancied the idea of having one - possibly as a spiritual successor to the Citroen SM I used to own - but, even allowing for some mechancial tiredness in this example, Harry's review has made me realise I do not really want one.
"A what?" is EXACTLY what I said when i saw the title. I've never heard of that car. Harry's channel is constantly entertaining.
The comedy buzzer is hilarious, sounds like you should be getting a small electric shock 😂
My science/physics teacher had a Ro in the very early 80's......around the same time I bumped into John DeLorean in an odd looking unpainted car with weird doors😊
I passed my test in the late 196Os. I went to the local NSU dealer to look at this car and was amazed at how futuristic it was compared to any other contemporary car . Afterwards , I jumped in my Hillman Imp and decided to try my hand at the football pools ,to win enough money to cover the purchase price . Didn’t work !
Gear change like my 1976 911 SC Sportomatic was. You could start off in any of the 3 gears from standstill. Only thing affected was acceleration.
My father a civil engineer was obsessed with the rotary engine & wanted it! Unique machine! Thankyou Harry!
I used a Mazda Capella Wankel engined car here in Australia. It was marvelous!
Great to see the Ro80 on your site, I have had 3 in the past and still own one now, although it doesn't get driven. With the rotary engine you had to drive them, plenty of revs. The first one I owned had engine problems the chambers had scored, so I decided to fit a Ford corsair GT V4 engine, made up an adapter plate so was able to keep the same transmission. The second Ro80 I bought was from a scrapyard it was only 2 years old but the previous owner, ( a well-known DJ in the UK with initials JP) decided to scrap it rather than repair it. Originally I replaced the engine with a V4, but my ex-wife used to like racing Jags away from the traffic lights in it, and eventually the diff gave out. I managed to keep the car after the divorce, and replaced the engine and transmission from an Audi 100, the Audi also ran front wheel drive with inboard disc brakes, it was quite a difficult alteration, as the Audi engine is a lot longer than a twin-rotor, I had to push the radiator forward, use electric fans for cooling, ended up with 10mm between the engine and radiator.
A friend of mine fitted the Corsair V4 in his too and ran it for years.
A great video of a stunning car. I did spot this in the background of another recent video and hoped you would review this. Thanks for taking the time to do this.
My uncle had a bright red Ro80, way back when. His technique for shifting gear was to cradle the knob with the stick between middle and ring finger and his thumb on the button top to operate the clutch. Very helpful, when you're waiting at the lights or a junction, as you only had to lift your thumb to engage the drive. I definitely remember it being super quiet compared to the standard family cars of the day.
I have one. One of the things I remember when I first bought it was how unnatural it felt to change gear without using a clutch pedal. One night, not long after I bought it, I was pulling onto a dual carriageway and I accelerated hard off the slip road and went for a gear change. 15 years of driving gave me a second nature of changing gears using a clutch, only there was no clutch pedal! Let me tell you that the brakes on a RO80 are very good and that I’ve never been so terrified in my life!
What a cool car, the gearbox sound very broken tho.
In 1978 in BAOR, one chap had one of these...it was something else indeed! Most of us had the run of the mill VWs / BMVs / etc. One lad had a VW Porsche - very exotic! I had my first car - a Citroen 2CV, which I loved; then a Ford Taunus, which covered a lot of miles.! Some time later, I owned a K70, too, but not for too long! My best fun drive was a 432! lol
When Hubnut tested this exact same car from the heritage collection, the gearbox didn't sound as bad at all, may be because he has poorer quality sound, or something has deteriorated in last couple of years.
I think there is something wrong with it (bearings have gone or something?)! I can't imagine it is meant to be this unrefined, lol.
Gearbox needs a rebuild - the bearings don't last forever, unfortunately.
Ive been waiting for this video after seeing the car in the backgroung in your garage. I am sorry to say that this example is under paar. If properly set up they will happily hold first gear whilst stationary. Wiered? Yes. Comfortable? Oh yes. Cult? Definately. High speed stability (at way more than 112mph) A revelation. As always, best wishes from the Forest of Blackness......Mike
Beautiful, thank you. The Ro80 still looks great today. Thinking about it, what strikes me is the lack of external 'bling'...., DRL's, chromy bits, flutes of this an' tat etc. Have to say, if that car's only done 42000 miles, they must have been really hard-driven miles. I don't recall other tests of the Ro80 having such a racket of interior noises. From way back then, I seem to recall that NSU honoured the warranties without quibble until it eventually busted them. Bit unlike manufacturers today, arguing the toss, denials of responsibilities, class actions.., etc.
Really interesting design for the time, soft suspension is something I missed these days, cars have giant alloys, tiny tyres and everything suspension wise is rock hard for the trashed UK roads!
That's one of the reasons I hate today's tin cans = I hate stiff suspension, unless it is a sports/high performance car. Otherwise, I want cushy comfort. Damn the handling, as I know how to handle a car.
@@michaelbenardo5695 That's it man, comfort :)
The Ro80 do also have the most unsual steering setup I remember seeing. It have a big swing arm mounted at the top of the cowl in the center, a half rack and pinion mounted on one side of it and a seperate hydraulic cylinder on the other side. The low end of the swing arm do then connect to the wheels by a center link.
Amazing car from a technological and aerodynamic/design perspective. It's staggering to think it cam out in 1967. I know it had its problems but I it was such a brave Decsion - shame it impacted NSU so badly. I suppose a 55 year old care dynamics is not going to be unto today's standards so yes the roll can look/fell very nautical. I have a wonderful book on NSU although it's in German so a lot of checking the dictionary especially the technical words. Maybe one day I might just own one, might need to put some different dampers and thinker rollbars on. : )
Comical and informative video both at the same time 😂 This is why we love Harry's Garage 👍
Norton 588 Rotory engine was apparently the equivalent of a one litre conventional piston engine, The semi auto box reminded me of Citroens C-matic transmission. For those interested in the Rotary engine, the Brian Crighton story, video is well worth watching, he was the genius who developed the Rotary engine for Norton and went on the build 25 special 700 Crightons bikes, price 95k, Guy Martin tested one at Mallory park and said it was Fooking quick ! 😂
I laughed during the entire video! I love these classic reviews! Thanks Harry!
I had 2 older first generation prinzes, 59 and 60 models, with the 20 hp air cooled rear engine of 583cc... Nsu is very dear to my heart as the 59 was my first car. You didnt see many of them in new england
Saw a beautiful Ro 80 in a scrapyard near Hailsham in the late '80s, it looked in great condition (I just assumed that it was being scrapped because of the rotor tips) and the design still looked modern and stylish.
Daves autos, by any chance.
I think you're right. I had forgotten because I haven't been there for yonks, but it sounds right.
Those are truly epic angles of lean, Citroen 2CV territory. I have a theory that the NSU did "live on" in the Audi-world in the form of the C3 (= Mark III) Audi 100 of 1982 designed by Hartmut Warkuss, a form repeated in the B3 version of the Audi 80 in 1986. Both had very low Cd values and high efficiency engines for max. fuel economy.
I've waited a long time to see some rotary content on your channel. The Ro80 was misunderstood in period by both customers and service departments. It quickly gained quite an unfair reputation for unreliability. A lot of engines replaced under warranty were not even terminal in the first place! Basic servicing and maintenance could have prevented a lot of issues.
It is a car that has aged well in terms of design and it is great to see the Ro80 getting some time in the spotlight. Thanks for posting.
I had a VW history book when I was a kid and the RO80 was hands down my favorite car in the whole book. It blew my mind that a car that still looked fairly modern even then in the early 90s was designed in the mid-60s. Learning about rotary engines when I was older made the car even more special. If I ever win the lottery, there will be at least one euro-spec RO80 in my garage.
I enjoy these glimpses into automotive history. Thanks, Harry.
Auto Union (formed in 1932) was made up of four companies (Audi, Horch, DKW, and Wanderer). The Auto Union badge was the four rings now known as the Audi badge. The Audi museum in Ingolstadt is officially the Auto Union museum. Audi itself was formed in 1910.
Claiming this magnificent model as the beginning of Audi is misleading at best.
This takes me back to my youth. My dad had 2 Ro80s. One to drive, one for spare parts! I remember helping him change the engine once. Perfect car for someone like him: an engineer and aircraft mechanic; not so good for somone who just wanted a car with a reliable engine. The Ro80 was in its element at speed on the motorway on long journeys. It would hit its cruising speed and become a quieter, smoother ride. I’d forgotten about the seat belt arrangement without a buckle, but definitely remember the semi-automatic. Apart from losing engine compression, they were such great cars. Worth noting that the protectionist import policies of the UK at the time probably also helped see the demise of this brand.
Thank you, Harry, that was fascinating. Please can you now take out a semi-auto Citroen DS for a test!
The design of the Ro80 is truly timeless. I think it is interesting that both it and the DS had very long wheelbases - something that EV architecture encourages today. Perhaps that is one reason why the proportions of those two appear so modern.
I owned a 1973 DS20 with the 4 speed semi-auto gearbox for several years and found the gears quite logical and easy. It strikes me that having the switch/gearstick on the steering column, as in the DS, with the gears clearly labelled might be an easier way to control the box than the Ro80's '3-on-the-floor'.
The DS had a floor mounted parking brake too - like Mercedes and Mk 1 Volvo Xc90s - which worked well with the semi-auto and I would imagine slightly better than with the manual box.
The engines of both the DS and the Ro80 were their Achilles Heels and both might be big beneficiaries of an EV conversion, especially the DS where the engine was one of the few parts of the design that showed absolutely no innovation. You are based quite close to Electrogenic (in Kidlington): could you ask them if you could drive the DS they converted to EV???
www.electrogenic.co.uk/cars/electric-citroen-ds
Another great review Harry. I'm almost 60 and I (possibly) remember these from the annual motor show in Glasgow we used to visit. Looked like a bit of a rollercoaster ride during your drive. Well done. Brilliant.
In the mid 80s I drove a '74 Porsche 911 (2.7L, mechanical fuel injection) that had a semi automatic gearbox. Brilliant! At the time I was also jumping in and out of many Citroens fitted with the C-matic, semi automatic.
What a wonderfully quirky car, I haven't seen a video of these in ages. It's nice to be reminded how charming the little Ro80s are.
Great video Harry, thanks. My dad bought one new in 1976 (I was 21) and I drove it extensively. I remember it has adequate performance and the smoothest and quietest engine I had experienced, so I'm so disappointed that your example was so rough and slow, especially coming the the Audi fleet.
Wow, I was going to say a blast from the past but "blast" gives it undue credit I think! I never actually saw one of these until the late 80's and all I remember of them back in their day was the price. Hard to think people were prepared to pay a premium for them. They certainly did look way ahead of contemporary offerings of the time though.
Felix Wankel.had worked for NSU and even he could not get the apex seap wear problem resolved. A number of OEMs including Chevrolet pought patent rights, but non could solve the chatter marks or seal wear. Only little Toyo Kogyo or Mazda persisted and overcame these critical issues. If I remember correctly the rotor width was the same as one of the Mazda rotaries.
Too bad Audi could not solve the issues like Mazda did, the rest of the car was a work of art. The inboard brakes could be a bear to work on, and the materials wore the brakes quickly.
Hi Harry - a great review of a beautiful car (albeit flawed) that was certainly ahead of its time! Remember Matchbox did one of these when I was a kid! The next futuristic car after this, was the Porsche 928 which I fell in love with and managed to own in later years!
I so much PREFER this kind of video: unusual, beautiful rare cars made for the general public....instead of the contemporary supercar. Does sound a bit like a Cuisinart blending silverware though.
Thanks Harry, great review and drive, the first time I saw one of these was in the late 80’s when I was 10 yrs old and even then I was impressed by its looks, I didn’t know it was a 60’s design at the time but it wouldn’t have looked out of place in a late 70’s showroom.
That engine although having a reputation sounds immense, no wonder Mazda used it in their RX cars.
Took me back seeing that!